Cop's Life Of Tragedy, Triumph Ends In Crash

A 2-car Accident Early Sunday In West Orange County Claims The Life Of Orlando Police Sgt. Diana Turner.

October 21, 1991|By Darryl E. Owens Of The Sentinel Staff

WINTER GARDEN — Things were on an upswing for Sgt. Diana Turner, who time after time had hit with gusto the many curveballs life had thrown at her.

That string came to a tragic end Sunday when Turner, a national award-winning Orlando police officer, was killed in a two-car crash in west Orange County. She was taking her 4-year-old son to his baby sitter before her shift at the department's office at the Orlando International Airport.

The accident occurred on State Road 50 near Winter Garden, where Turner lived.

When paramedics arrived at 4:36 a.m., Turner, 41, was already dead. Her son, Garrett, was taken to West Orange Hospital with minor injuries. He was listed in stable condition Sunday.

The other driver, Rodriguez F. Luke, 27, of Clermont was in serious condition Sunday at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Details of his injuries were not available.

Nash said Turner was traveling east on S.R. 50, about a half mile east of State Road 545 when Luke's westbound 1980 Ford ran off the road then swerved back across the road.

Turner's Toyota Supra struck the passenger side of his car. Turner did not have time to avoid hitting Luke's car, Nash said.

Turner and Luke were both trapped in their vehicles, Nash said, and rescuers had to use special equipment to cut through the wreckage to remove them.

Nash said investigators estimate Turner was traveling about 40 to 45 mph. They had not determined how fast Luke was going or what caused the accident.

Nash said police had taken blood samples from Nash to check for alcohol or drugs. No charges have been filed, but an investigation is continuing.

Luke, who lives at the Clermont Sands Apartments, works as a stockman at the Publix supermarket in Clermont, said store manager Carl Riggs.

A neighbor said Luke had been living at the Sands for several years. Luke's parents live in the Clermont area, the neighbor said.

Orlando Police Chief Dan Wilson was out of town Sunday and could not be reached for comment, but the news saddened Turner's fellow officers.

''It's a loss. She was a good person. Everybody in the department who knew her liked her. She was very responsible with a strong work ethic,'' said Lt. John Stum, who worked with Turner.

Added Capt. George McNamara, who worked with her at the airport before he was transferred to the criminal investigation division, ''It's a shame. She was a good cop, universally liked by everybody. She thought about others more than herself.''

Sunday's accident was the closing chapter in a life filled with obstacles but tempered by recent sweet success.

Turner's father was killed by lightning when she was 14. Her mother struggled to raise three children. Turner managed to win two scholarships and worked her way through Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

After receiving her English degree in 1973, she married an engineer, Lawrence Widman. The two couldn't afford a honeymoon, so they took a camping trip for their first anniversary.

A car accident cut that trip short. Widman was killed, and Turner was seriously injured. Doctors told her she would never walk again if she lived.

But she did recover and landed a sales job at Walt Disney World. At 31, she answered an advertisement about joining the police force. Turner was sworn in as an officer in 1982 and remarried two years later. The marriage ended in divorce in 1988.

Turner distinguished herself on the force by winning awards of merit for saving a life, community service awards and other citations before being promoted to sergeant in 1988.

But perhaps her brightest moment came in 1990 when she won the Take Charge Award presented each year by Clairol Inc. to women who change the course of their lives after age 30 and make significant contributions to their professions and communities.

That distinction landed her a trip to New York to appear on NBC's Today show.

In a 1990 Orlando Sentinel interview, Turner revealed her philosophy on life.

''I never really thought about having so many bad things happen in my life,'' said Turner.

''I don't get all tied up in my problems. You've got to look at the positive side and what you want to work toward.''